Grafting-valve



L. umumulsr.

GRAFTING VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1920.

Patented June-"z, 1921 UNITED. STATEs LEVI'LU-NDQUIST, or YMIDDLETOWN,CALIFORNIA,

GRAFTING-VALVE,

Specification of Letters Patent,

Application-filed Ju1y'12, 1920." Serial. No. 395,478.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEvrLUND UIsr, a citizenof the United States, residingv at Middletown, in the county of Lake andState of California, have inventedicertain new and useful ImprovementsinGrafting- Valves, of which thefollowing .isa specification. 7 I e IThis invention relates to the art of grafting and has as its generalobject to provide a novel and simple means for controlling the flow ofsap from thestockafter the shoots have been grafted thereto.

Heretofore it has been customary, after selecting the stock, to cut offtheupper portion thereof, make the required number of' incisions orclefts in the upper end of the stock at suitable points inits-circumference,

graft the shoots in place, and thenapply. over the upperzend of thestock and over the grafted ends of the shoots a coatin of a suit ablegrafting wax so as to prevent rying out of the stock through evaporationof the sap bleeding therefrom. It has been found,

however, that if a considerable quantityof sap accumulates beneath thewax coating,

the coating will be lifted and will becaused to burst or crack thusadmitting air with the result that the sap is soon dried out and thegrowth of the grafts is either greatly retarded or ceases altogether.Therefore the primary object of the present invention is to provide adevice acting in the manner of a valve to allow for the overflow ofsurplus sap from the stock and yet at the Same time prevent access ofair to the stock beneath the coating of wax in any (guantity sufiicientto cause any appreciable rying out of the sap. Incidentally theinvention has as its object to provide a device for the purpose statedwhich, inasmuch as it permits of overflow of the surplus sap, willprevent the accumulation of sap beneath the wax coating to such anextent as to cause the coating to burst or crack and thus admit air tothe stock with the disastrous results above stated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the classdescribed which may be manufactured at an extremely low cost and whichmay be readily employed for the purposes above stated without the use ofany special tools and without requiring any particular attention afterit has once been placed in position.

Inthe accompanying-- drawings Figure 1 is aperspective view illustratingFig.3 iS a similar view taken in a plane substantially at right anglesto the plane of Fig.2; I

Fig. 4 is adetail perspective view of the grafting valve. I

In the drawings the numeral 1 indicates the stock to which the shootsare to be grafted, the shoots being indicated by the numeral 2; Ingrafting 'the shoots, the usual method of-"cleft grafting-is resortedto, the required number of shoots being placed at suitable points; aboutthe circumference of theupper end-of the-stock 1. However, after theshoots have been grafted to the stock and before the wax coating whichis customarily employed, is applied, the device embodying the presentinvention is driven into the-stock. The said device is most clearlyillustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings and is as before stated in thenature of a valve and is indicated in general" by the numeral 3. Thevalve comprises a cylindrical tubular body l havingone end 5 disposed atright angles to its axis. The other end of the body 4, however, is cutdiagonally as indicated by the numeral 6 so as to provide a laterallyfacing opening 7 at the lower portion of the body and a pointed terminal8 at the said end. As above stated, the device of the invention isapplied after the shoots have been grafted to the stock but in anyevent, in applying the device, its pointed lower end will be driven intothe upper end of the stock with a hammer or any other driving implement,the pointed terminal 8 adapting the device to readily enter the stockand become firmly embedded therein. the device is driven into the stockmay be varied at the judgment of the user but in any event the valvewill not be driven in so far as to completely close the opening 7 sothat the upper portion of this opening will 105 lie above the upper endof the stock in'the manner most clearly shown in Figs. 2 and f 3 of thedrawings. When the valve has been thus driven into place, a suitablequantity of raw cotton or other absorbent mate- 110 Patented Ju-ne 7,1921.

1n use,-' thestock and Wax coating being shown ansectron;

The distance to which rial, indicated by the numeral 9, is packed withinthe valve through the upper end terfere with free absorption of sap bythe.

filling. After this absorbent filling has been lightly pushed down intothe valve until it touches the top of the stock, the usual coating 10 ofany suitable grafting wax is applied to the stock to cover the up perportionand upper end thereof and the lower end portions of the grafts orshoots. This coating 10 alSQis packed about the pro jecting upper endportion of the valve 3 in such manner as to completely cover theabsorbent material exposed in the opening 7 but the coating does notextendover or in any way obstruct the open upper end of the valve. i e rv After the valve has been packed,.it requires little if any furtherattention.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that any surplussap bleeding from the stock 1 and which would otherwise accumulatebeneath the coating 10 and cause. the coating to bulge and burst orcrack, will,

drying out and thus retarding or completely stopping the growth of thegrafts.

It will be evident fromthe foregoing that the invention resides notalone in the means which I have provided for the overflow of surplus sapfrom the; stock but also in' the method of providing for this overflow,this method consisting in providing an overflow leading through thecoating of grafting wax and in further providing within the overflow apacking to absorb the sap and exclude air from the stock.

In walnut grafting a strip of cloth should be wrapped around the waxedstock and upper edge folded over and a paper bag tied over it protectingthe scions from the sun of absorbent material and provided with apassage for the entrance of the sap and com-v municating with the saidcavity.

2. A grafting sap valve comprising a tubular member having an enteringend cut diagonally whereby when the said end is. driven into the stockfor aportion of the length of the said end, only, an opening will beleft in the side of the valve through which sap may enter the valve. 1

3; A graftingsap valve comprising a tu bular member havingoneendsubstantially at right angles'to its axis to provide for direct blowsbeing struck thereagainst with a driving implement and having its otherend cut diagonally to provide a tapered enter: ing portion, whereby whentheenteringportionis driven'into the stock for a, portion of the lengthof theentering portion-only, an openingwill be left in the side of thevalve through which the sap may enter the valve.

In testimony whereof I afiix-my signature. a

LEVI LUNDQUIST; '.[L.S

and drying winds. The tops of the bag are

